Safety elevator device.



H. WERNIGG.

SAFETY ELEVATOR DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1914.

Patented Apr-.113, 1915 Wmqg Gnome THE NORRIS PE1|3RS CO.. PHOTOLITHO. WASHINGTON D. C

HENRIK WERNIGG, OF AKRON, OHIO.

SAFETY ELEVATOR DEVICE.

Application filed March 14, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRIK WERNIGG, a subject of the King of Hungary, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Safety Elevator Devices, of which the following is a specification.

V This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in safety elevator devices.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a safety device adapted to be employed with either freight or passenger elevators and whereby injury to the contents thereof is prevented in the case of an accidental severing of the hoisting cable, the device automatically operating to resiliently support the elevator in the shaft, maintaining the same against a sudden fall.

A further object is to provide a means whereby upon the accidental breaking of the hoisting cable of an elevator, certain members carried by the elevator will automatically engage resilient springs upon the adj acent wall of the elevator shaft and thereby stop the fall of the elevator and cushion the same when its downward travel is abruptly ended.

A still further object is to provide a means which is easy and cheap to manufacture and readily installed upon an elevator which efiiciently provides a cushioning stop against the downward fall of the elevator in case of an accident to the hoisting cable, such means being automatic and substantially instantaneous in their operation.

Another object is to provide a spring sup port engaging means carried by an elevator and adapted to automatically engage a support upon the breaking of an electric circuit in the event of an accident causing the elevator to suddenly fall.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, 13, 1915.

Serial No. 824,723.

an elevator shaft and an elevator positioned therein illustrating the installation of the present device carried thereby. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the elevator and the adjacent side of the shaft with the device carried thereby. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the hook hinge of one of the supporting springs carried by the shaft. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the hooks employed by the supporting spring mechanism, and, Fig. 5 is a detail view of an electrical means for automatically actuating the spring-engaging hook.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the elevator shaft or well 10 is illustrated as having the elevator cage 11 suspended therein by means of a supporting cable 12 secured to the elevator cage roof l3. Suspended at regular intervals upon the opposite walls of the shaft from stationary studs 14 thereon are arranged cushioning springs 15 having hooks hinged to the bottoms thereof by means of pins 17 passing through the cross head 18 of the hooks and through a terminal strap 19 of the springs. The walls of the elevator shaft are provided with suitably spaced Z-iron rails 20 forming a track, which are adapted to have the opposite rollers 21 riding thereon, which rollers are journaled in brackets 22 carried by said strap 19. Angular hooks 23 are mounted in pairs upon opposite sides of the elevator and preferably hidden from view by the elevator structure being pivoted to the elevator frame as at 24 are adapted to have their ends 25 projected through side slots 26 of the elevator cage walls under the influence of expansion springs 27 which are carried by brackets 28 secured to the elevator and bear with their upper ends against the angular extensions 29 of said hooks. The said members 23 are adapted to be positioned upon the opposite sides of the elevator and the upper part thereof is connected by a cord 30 with the hoisting cable 12 while upper and lower hook members are connected together by any desired form of link 31. From this arrangement it will be seen that the normal pressure of the springs 27 being upward, a severing of the cable 12 resulting in the consequent release of the cords 30 allows the said springs to project the hooks 25 outwardly and being arranged in their path of movement with the hooks 16, certain of the opposite hooks 23 will enter and seat within opposite ones of the wall hooks 16 and thereby the elevator is resiliently suspended upon the springs 15, the cushioning effect in stopping the elevator allowing the engaging hooks to ride slightly downward upon the expanding of the springs 15 and with the rollers 21 riding between the tracks 20.

In lieu of the cable attaching cores 80, the electrical arrangement disclosed in Fig. 5 may be employed which consists in positioning a solenoid l-O normally having its core 41 retracted by the electrical energy from the battery 42 and being transmitted to the solenoid by the wires 43. The core ll being secured to the extension 44 of the pivoted hook 45, a severing of the hoisting cable 46 also 7 breaks the connecting wires 47 of the electric circuit and thus deenergizes the solenoid and allows the spring L8 to move the hook t5 upon its pivot and thereby engage the wall carried cushioning hooks 16 after the manner heretofore described.

T he complete operation of the entire device will now be apparent in its cushioning of the elevator from the automatically engaging hook mechanisms upon a breaking of the hoisting cable.

While the forms of the invention herein shown and described are what are believed to be preferable embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms and modifications thereof may be had without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention and in what manner the same is designed for use, what is claimed as new is 1. A safety device comprising in combination with a shaft and an elevator cage positioned therein, a hoisting cable secured to the elevator cage, springs rigidly secured within the elevator shaft, hooks hinged to the lower ends of said springs, tracks carried by the elevator shaft walls, rollers carried by said springs and engaging said tracks, pivoted hooks carried by the elevator cage, springs engaging said hooks normally tending to position the same in the path of the spring-carried hooks, and means carried by said elevator cage for normally restraining said elevator cage-carried springs and adapted for release upon the severing of the elevator cage-supporting cable.

A safety device comprising in combination with an elevator shaft, an elevator cage within the shaft, and a hoisting cable secured to the cage, of stationary studs 0ppositely arranged upon the walls of said shaft, springs suspended from said studs, straps at the bottoms of said springs, hooks hingedly suspended from said straps, brackets extending from said straps, grooved rollers journaled in said brackets, Z-rails spaced apart upon the walls of said shaft and positioning said rollers therebetween, and spring-impelled pivoted hooks carried by said elevator cage and adapted to engage said hinged hooks upon the severance of the elevator-supporting cable.

A safety device comprising in combination with an elevator shaft, an elevator cage within the shaft, and a hoisting cable secured to the cage, of stationary studs oppositely arranged upon the walls of said shaft, springs suspended from said studs, straps at the bottoms of said springs, hooks hingedly suspended from said straps, brackets extending from said straps, grooved rollers journaled in said brackets, Z-'ails spaced apart upon the walls of said shaft and positioning said rollers therebetween, Z-shaped engaging means pivoted to said elevator cage, brackets carried by said elevator cage, springs mounted between said brackets and engaging means and normally tending to project said engaging means within the path of said hinged hooks, and cords between said engaging means and the elevator supporting cable.

at. A safety elevator device comprising in combination with a shaft, and an elevator cage suspended therein, a cable secured to said cage, resiliently mounted hooks secured within said shaft, rollers carried by said hooks, a track carried by the shaft walls on which said rollers travel, pivoted hooks carried by the elevator cage, connecting cords between said hooks and the cable, holding the hooks in normally retracted position, and springs normally exerting their tension against said hooks and adapted upon severance of said cords to release said pivoted hooks, and project same within the path of said resiliently-mounted hooks.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRIK lVERNIGG.

lVitnesses ELLswoR'rH C. Gnow, RoLLIN J LIMBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

